Lipstick Controversy

There are two kinds of people in the anti-Obama camp. There are McCain supporters and Obama haters, two distinct groups that react differently to campaign events.

Wednesday, the main event is all about lipstick. As Warner Wolf might say, let's go to the videotape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN, REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You know they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.

BARACK OBAMA, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: John McCain says he's about change, too, except — and so I guess his whole angle is watch out, George Bush, except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics, we're really going to shake things up in Washington. That's not change. That's just calling something the same thing something different. But you know, you can't — you know, you can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now, nobody can read minds. Nobody knows for sure why Senator Obama used the lipstick and farm animal analogy. Only the deity knows that. Therefore, this story comes down to fairness, and I believe most Americans are fair-minded folks. So let's analyze it in that context.

Barack Obama is not a bomb-thrower. He never has been. In fact, he doesn't even like confrontation. Also, the Obama campaign knows very well how the vicious personal attacks on Sarah Palin have helped John McCain, as millions of voters have rallied to the McCain-Palin ticket primarily because of media unfairness towards the governor. So it would be beyond dumb for Senator Obama to smear Senator Palin, to compare her to a pig.

The only people who would do that are the vile smear merchants at the Daily Kos and elements at NBC News. Therefore, for anyone to say that Barack Obama consciously compared Mrs. Palin to a pig is unfair, and there is no supporting evidence to back up that irresponsible statement.

Also, if the McCain campaign continues to put that out, which they are, Obama's going to get votes because fire-minded Americans don't like smears. So there's a danger for Senator McCain here.

Finally, the media loves stuff like this, and we are driving the pig train. But fair is fair. You don't like Barack Obama, fine. There are enough legitimate issues to challenge him on.

But trust me, independent Americans, those are the people who will decide the election, don't like this kind of stuff. And until pigs fly, they never will.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

As you may know, the poverty-stricken country of Haiti has been devastated by four storms. So Haitian singer Wyclef Jean is heading up a charitable fund to help more than 600,000 people who have been forced from their homes. For this, Mr. Jean is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, two candidates: far-left comedian Joy Behar and actor Matt Damon. They are not fans of Sarah Palin.

JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": The one thing that I don't think anybody has said yet is that she's very mean to animals, this woman. Why does she have it in for these poor polar bear and the caribou? And she aerial kills wolves? That's a very mean thing to do.

MATT DAMON, ACTOR: I need to know if she really thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago. That's an important — I want to know that. I really do, because she's going to have the nuclear codes, you know? I want to know if she thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I just hope she's not mean to the dinosaurs. Pinheads? You make the call on that one.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com